Electrolysis pump

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an improved pump for liquids or gasses and an improved method for pumping such materials. In all embodiments, the motive principle of the pump and the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;essence&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; of the method is forcible ejection of the substance to be pumped from a pumping chamber by the explosion of hydrogen in the presence of oxygen, these two gasses being created by electrolysis of water containing at least a trace amount of ionized impurity. Where this water is substance to be pumped, it is drawn into a single chamber and electrolyzed, whereupon the explosion occurs within the chamber, forcibly ejecting the water therefrom. In embodiments where other substances are pumped, the electrolysis and explosion take place in a first closed chamber, and the forces created are transmitted, either through the water or through the gasses, into a second chamber containing the material to be pumped.

United States Patent Mandroian July 29, 1975 [54] ELECTROLYSIS PUMP [22]Filed: Mar. 22, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 343,658

[52] U.S. Cl. 417/73; 60/26.11; 417/240; 417/557 [51] Int. Cl. F04f1/16; F04f 7/10; F04b 21/00 [58] Field of Search 417/73, 74, 75, 240,241, 417/557, 138,142

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 379,674 3/1888 Bolmer 417/731,027,430 5/1912 Poore et a1. 417/74 1,626,070 4/1927 Bond et al. 417/742,272,477 2/1942 Pfleger 417/73 2,857,853 10/1958 Siegmund 417/732,916,200 12/1959 Siegmund 417/73 3,136,455 6/1964 Coes 417/5573,155,049 11/1964 Mandelbaum et al.. 417/138 X 3,275,021 9/1966,Loveless 417/138 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 8,801 ll/1900 Norway417/557 IGNITION COIL Primary Examiner-William L. Freeh Attorney, Agent,or Firm--Nilsson, Robbins, Bissell, Dalgarn & Berliner 5 7 ABSTRACTDisclosed is an improved pump for liquids or gasses and an improvedmethod for pumping such materials.

ln all embodiments, the motive principle of the pump and the essence ofthe method is forcible ejection of the substance to be pumped from apumping chamber by the explosion of hydrogen in the presence of oxygen,these two gasses being created by electrolysis of water containing atleast a trace amount of ionized impurity. Where this water is substanceto be pumped, it is drawn into a single chamber and electrolyzed,whereupon the explosion occurs within the chamber, forcibly ejecting thewater therefrom. In embodiments where other substances are pumped, theelectrolysis and explosion take place in a first closed chamber, and theforces created are transmitted, either through the water or through thegasses, into a second chamber containing the material to be pumped.

POWER SUPPLY CONTROL SHEET I POWER SUPPLY IGNITION ,75

COIL CONTROL SIGNAL -70 PROCESSOR INGRESS EGRESS MEANS MEANS w+H2O K20A, 25A ZOA, 25A

Fig. 2 Fig 3 PATENTED JUL 2 91975 SHEET SUPPLY POWER SUPPLY POWER 5 Q k//4 w 7 O I v I, D W /////VV 5 p U o 5 v I Q ELECTROLYSIS PUMPBACKGROUND OF INVENTION A. Field of Invention This invention relates tothe field of gas and liquid pumps and methods for pumping suchsubstances.

B. Description of Prior Art Numerous types of gas and liquid pumps havebeen in use during all of recorded history.

In modern times, axial and centrifugal mechanical pumps are the mostcommonly used. An axial pump utilizes an impeller in the nature of acompressor which draws the material through its inlet opening andforcibly directs it along the axis of the pump through its outlet. Acentrifugal pump ordinarily utilizes a screw-type impeller which drawsthe material along the pump axis and forcibly ejects it in a tangentialdirection, near the pump circumference. In either case, the impellerconstitues a moving part which must be bearing-mounted and coupled withsome form of mechanical driving means, such as an electric motor.

Thus, pumps currently in use depend for their performance on a largenumber of moving parts. Moving parts wear because of friction andmaterial fatigue. Lubrication can prolong the service life of such partsbut cannot prevent, indefinitely, the destruction of these parts,resulting in termination, or at least temporary interruption, of serviceof the pump.

Likewise, clay, sand, dust and other debris suspended in the gas orliquid pumped through these mechanisms have a tendency to clog themoving parts and eventually terminate the usefulness of the pump.

Replacement of worn or damaged parts and cleaning of pumps is, at best,a nuisance. In situations where the pump is utilized to extract groundwater from a water table of great depth, such servicing is impractical,if not impossible. Elimination of the great majority of the moving partsin pumps would render them far more servicable, particularly under suchconditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is the object of this inventionto provide a pump for gaseous or liquid materials which requires few orno moving parts.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved methodfor pumping such materials.

Briefly, the pump of the present invention, in each of its embodiments,is based on the same motive principle. A quantity of water having atleast a trace amount of ionized impurity is electrolyzed, therebycreating gaseous hydrogen and oxygen. These gasses are ignited in asubstantially closed chamber, creating an explosion, the force of whichis employed in expelling the material to be pumped from the pump in adownstream direction. Similarly, the method of the present inventioncomprises electrolyzing such water and creating such an explosion,whereby the material is pumped by the action of the force of theexplosion.

In embodiments where the material to be pumped is itself watercontaining at least a trace amount of ionized impurity, the pump of thepresent invention comprises a chamber with means for ingress and egressof the water being pumped thereby. The ingress and egress means are eachadapted to restrict upstream flow of the water, for example, by means ofsimple spring-loaded or check valves, or by use of inlet and outlettubes which constrict inthe direction of flow,

thus utilizing the viscosity of water and other factors to retardupstream movement. In particular, the ingress and egress means may eachcomprise series of such constriction devices arranged, in a downstreamdirection, such that each constriction feeds into a region of greatercross-sectional area, to compound the retarding influence of theindividual devices.

Propulsion of the water through the pump. in these embodiments, isaccomplished by electrolysis of a portion of the water itself andsubsequent ignition, within the chamber, of the hydrogen and oxygengenerated thereby. Subsidence of each explosion creates a net vacuumwithin the chamber with respect to the source of the material beingpumped, which, because of the upstream flow restrictive means, causes anadditional charge of water to be drawn into the chamber from the source.The electrolysis and ignition means may each comprise a pair ofelectrodes within the pump chamber, the ignition means being inserted inthe region wherein the gasses of electrolysis tend to collect. A sourceor sources of electrical energy are provided to these means, and theflow of current may be controlled as desired for optimal performance ofthe pump.

In embodiments of the pump wherein the substance to be pumped is not thewater itself, a second pumping chamber is utilized. In theseembodiments, the electrolysis and ignition steps occur within asubstantially closed first chamber containing the impure water. Theforce created by the explosion is transmitted to a second chambercontaining the gaseous or liquid substance to be pumped. The secondchamber may be provided with ingress and egress for upstream flowrestriction similarly to the basic chamber in the previously describedembodiment. The communication of the forces between the first chamberand the second chamber is accomplished by some force transmissive meanssuch as a flexible diaphragm or piston or, in some cases, directcontact. The force may be transmitted either through the water containedin the first chamber or fromthe expanding gasses directly, depending onthe placement and nature of the force transmissive means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a sectional, partially schematicview of a pump according to an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of ingress means for the material to bepumped according to an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of egress means for the material to be pumpedaccording to an alternative embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a set of electrolysis electrodesaccording to an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional, partially schematic view of a pump according toanother embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional, partially schematic view of a portion of a pumpaccording to an embodiment of this invention differing in certainmeasure from that shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional, partially schematic view of a portion of a pumpaccording to the present invention differing in certain measurefrom thatshown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a schematic, partially sectional view of a pump according toyet another embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic, partially sectional view of a pump according tostill another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic, partially sectional view of a pump according toan additional embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view of an impulse generator accordingto the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS This invention consistsboth of a method of pumping liquids or gasses and apparatus for pumpingsuch materials. Various embodiments of the apparatus of the presentinvention will now be described in detail, following which the methodwill be described in more summary fashion.

Referring to FIG. 1, the pump 10, according to the preferred embodimentof this invention which is uniquely adapted to pumping water containingat least a trace amount of ionized impurity, comprises a chamber 15,together with ingress means into the chamber and egress means out of thechamber. The ingress means is adapted to permit entrance, into thechamber, of the water to be pumped from a source not shown. Depending onthe application for the pump, the source may be a water pipe, tank orother container, or simply ground water contained within the ambient.

The pump housing should be constructed of a reasonably strong material,such as heavy-gauge stainless steel, since it must withstand the shockof repeated explosions. Likewise, it should be reasonably resistent tocorrosion by gaseous oxygen and by ions found in the type of water to bepumped. In any event, the selection of the proper material is wellwithin the capacity of those skilled in the art to which this inventionpertains.

The egress means 25 is adapted to conduct the pumped water out of thepump. In most embodiments, the egress means will transmit the water intopipes or other tubing, not shown, for delivery to a storage tank oranother apparatus.

Both the ingress means 20 and the egress means 25 must be designed toretard or, preferably, to prevent the backward (i.e., upstream) flow ofwater through the chamber. This may be accomplished by numerous means.For example, simple spring-loaded mechanical valves, ball check valves,etc., well-known to those skilled in the art to which this inventionpertains, may be employed.

If it is desired to produce a pump having no moving parts whatever, aningress tube 20a and an egress tube 25a, as shown in FIG. 2 may beemployed. Since both the ingress tube and the egress tube accomplishessubstantially the same purpose, their design is substantially identical.Basically, each is simply a hollow conduit having at least a portion ofits interior of a progressively decreasing cross-sectinal area along thedirection of water flow. The constriction 80 accomplishes this purposeand, in effect, joins the region of the tube having relatively largecross-sectional diameter D1 with that having relatively smallcross-section diameter D2.

The function of this design is rather simple and is based on the factthat the liquid of gaseous substance (water in this embodiment) pumpedby the pump of the present invention is driven in relatively shortbursts. Under such circumstances, the inherent viscosity of the materialcauses its flow to be turbulent when directed from a region of largecross-sectional area, discontinuously into one of much smallercross-sectional area. On the other hand, flow would be rather smooth,and perhaps even laminar, where the cross-sectional area progressivelydecreases in a downstream direction.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that under thecircumstances of operation of this pump the ingress tube 200 wouldpresent a great impediment to the upstream movement of the water withinthe chamber 15.

Likewise, the egress tube 25a would create the same impediment toupstream movement of water into the chamber from the region beyond thepump.

This effect can be increased by the use of a series of ingress tubes 20band/or a series of egress tubes 25b, as shown in FIG. 3. In a downstreamdirection, this ingress tube 20b (or egress tube 25b) comprises a seriesof constrictions interspersed with regions where the internal diameterof the tube discontinuously increases. It will be easily understood bythose skilled in the art to which this invention pertains that theeffect of these series tubes 20b, 25b will be to compound the effect ofthe individual ingress tube 20a or egress tube 25a.

By carefully selecting the ratio D1/D2 of the internal diameters of thetubes and the lengths of the constrictive regions 80 between theportions of diameter D2 and the portions of diameter D1, and/or byadjusting the number of elements within the series ingress tubes 20band/or egress tubes 25b, those practicing this invention may greatlyreduce upstream flow while optimizing the smooth downstream flow ofwater through the pump.

Of course, the ingress and egress restrictive means may be placed at anypoint, relative to the position of the pump chamber, in or inassociation with the egress and ingress means, respectively. E.g., thepump chambermay be positioned below the ground water table, while therestrictive means may be at the surface for easy observation and/orservicing. Thus, they need not be in close proximity to the chamber, asshown in FIGS. 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Propulsion of water through the pump 10 is accomplished by electrolyzinga portion of the water in the pump chamber 15 and by igniting thehydrogen and oxygen thus generated. It is well known in the chemical artthat gaseous hydrogen ignited in the presence of oxygen will create oneof the greatest energy-per-mass explosions known. Thus, very littleelectrolytic decomposition of water need be accomplished for each burstof the pump, and each burst will tend to eject the water through theegress means 25 with great force.

It is also well known that electrolysis of water may be accomplishedsimply by immersing a pair of electrodes 30 within the water and causinga current to flow through the water between them. Absolutely pure waterwill not conduct electricity. However, even the minutest trace ofionized impurities in the water will render it sufficiently conductiveto support electrolysis. Virtually all water from substantially everysource contains this necessary amount of trace impurity. Thus, the pumpof this embodiment of the present invention may be used under nearly allcircumstances requiring the pumping of water, aqueous solutions oraqueous suspensions.

The electrolysis circuitry consist of a pair of electrolysis electrodes30, which are in close proximity within the portion of the chamber 15containing water, and a suitable power supply 35 to deliver thenecessary electrical energy to the electrodes. The power supply may beas simple as an ordinary ac source without any electrical circuitryelements whatever intervening between it and the electrodes. On theother hand, the power supply may be as sophisticated as desired,containing whatever timing, switching and transformer means prove to beadvantageous to those practicing this inventionin any particularapplication. While in FIG. 1, the electrolysis electrodes are shown tobe separate from the pump housing, one of the electrodes may, of course,be a portion of the interior surface of the housing itself if the latteris of electrically conductive material. In the latter case, the separateelectrolysis electrode would be insulated from the housing, and aportion of it would be placed in close proximity to the conductiveportion of the interior surface of the pump chamber.

In particular, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.4, the electrolysis electrodes 30a comprise a set of coaxial cylindricalconductive shells 85, 90. Alternative shells 85 are insulated from theconductive portion of the pump housing 12 on which the shells aremounted, and are in electrical communication with" the power source 35.The remaining shells 90 are in electrical communication with theconductive portion of the interior of the pump housing and are at alower electricalpotential than the first set. In particular, the shells90 may be in electrical communication 'with ground. Theflow of waterinto the interstices be- "tween adjacent shells may be promoted byperforating the shells.- However, this is not absolutely necessary,since very little water will be decomposed during electrolysis, and itwill readily be replaced by other water within the pump chamber 15 whichwill flow into the interstices to replace the mass of the gassesgenerated by the electrolysis and released from within the interstices.

In any event, electrolysis of the water within the chamber 15 will causethe generation of hydrogen and oxygen bubbles 77 which will flow throughthe water into the ignition chamber 40. Inserted within the ignitionchamber are the ignition electrodes 45 separated by the spark gap 50. Asin the case of the electrolysis electrodes 30, one of the ignitionelectrodes may be a conductive portion of the interior of the pumphousing within the ignition chamber. The ignition electrodes (or in thelatter case the hot electrode) electrically communicate with theignition coil 55 whose function is substantially identical to theignition coil in an ordinary automobile engine. The ignition powersupply 60, which may be identical to the electrolysis power supply 35,provides electrical energy to the ignition coil.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, control of theflow of electrical energy to the ignition electrodes 45 (i.e., controlof the operation of the ignition coil 55) is provided by the controlmeans 75. This means may, in various applications, comprise electricaland/or mechanical switching means of conventional design. The switchmay, in turn, be controlled by any sort of conventional timer, eitheralone or together with sensor means of various designs. In particular,the sensor means and the timer may independently operate the switch, orone may override the other. The design of the necessary circuitry toaccomplish this result is well within the purview of the ordinaryelectrical engineer.

The sensor means may be variously designed depending on the particularfunction it is to serve. For example, it can be a pressure transducer todetect the total pressure of the gasses within the ignition chamber 40.It might also be a depth sensing device to monitor the depth of thewater remaining within the pump chamber 15. It may be a thermocouple orother temperature sensing device to monitor the instantaneoustemperature of the gasses or of the water. Likewise, it may be anycombination of these and/or other means for monitoring the physicalcharacteristics of the materials within the pump chamber.

The sensor means 65, whatever its precise nature, will generate anelectrical signal whose value depends on the instantaneous value of thephysical quantity being monitored. This signal will, in most cases, needto be processed by a signal processor which may consist simply ofordinary amplifier, before it can operate the control means 75.

Since thefunctions of the sensor 65, whatever its precise nature, thesignal processor 70, the control means 75, the ignition coil 55 and thepower supply 60 will. with the foregoing description, be well understoodby those skilledin the electrical engineering art, it will not benecessary to discuss their exact characteristics in great detail. Suchcontrol systems are well known and, if not commercially available forthe particular type of control to be accomplished, may be easilydesigned for optimal performance of the pump in any particularapplication by such an individual. By carefully selecting and mutuallyadjusting the operating characteristics of the components used in thecontrol circuitry, the cycle (burst-to-burst) time and power of the pumpmay be optimized for any particular application of the pump.

Of course, completely satisfactory results may be obtained for mostapplications by employing control means consisting of nothing more thana simple mechanical or electrical timer which operates the ignitioncoil.

In an event, the net result is a pump 10 having no moving parts except,in the embodiments in which valves are used in the ingress means 20and/or egress means 25 and/or where a mechanical timer is employed forthe control means. Such a pump may be used in any situation where water,an aqueous solution or an aqueous suspension is to be pumped. It isparticularly well suited for use in pumping ground water in areas wherethe water table is very low, since the entire mechanism may be submergedinto the ground water, having only an electrical outlet and a wateroutlet leading to the surface.

However, the application of this invention is by no means limited topumping water having ionized impurity. In other embodiments, thepump maybe utilized in pumping any gaseous or liquids substance, includingde-ionized water.

For example, to pump a gas or liquid which is of lower specific gravitythan water, substantially immiscible therewith and substantially inertwith respect thereto, pump 10a, as shown in FIG. 5, may be used. Thisembodiment of the invention utilizes two chambers, a force generator anda pumping station 100, which are connected by a communication duct 105.The force generator operates identically to the embodiment of the pump10 described above, except that there is no ingress and egress means forthe water. 'I.e., the force generator operates as a more-or-less closedsystem. As in the previous embodiment, the water (preferably containinga small amount of sodium hydroxide) is electrolyzed, and the resultinghydrogen and oxygen is ignited. Also as in the previous embodiment,control means, etc. of any desired type may be employed.

The ex losion of the hydrogen in the presence of the oxygen transmitsforce into the water, that force being transmitted through the duct 105into the remainder of the water contained in the pumping chamber 100.

The upper portion of the pumping chamber 100 is the pumping reservoir110 of the material being pumped. This material enters the reservoirthrough the ingress means 21, and is pumped from the reservoir, by theforces transmitted thereto, through the egress means 26. The ingressmeans 21 and egress means 26 serve an identical function to the ingressmeans 20 and egress means 25 of the previous embodiment, except that thematerial transmitted therethrough is something other than impure water.Accordingly, ingress means 21 may comprise a valve, an ingress tube 20aand/or a series ingress tube 20b. Of course, the egress means may besimilarly constructed.

The pumping station 100 shown in FIG. contains no force transmissivedevice other than the interface between the water and the material beingpumped. In embodiments of the pump a wherein the material being pumpedis miscible with, reactive with, and/or more dense than water (forexample, de-ionized water itself), some sort of impervious forcetransmissive interface must be provided. Examples of such structures area slidable piston 115 within the pumping station 100a, as shown in FIG.6, and a flexible diaphragm 120 sealed at its periphery 125 withinpumping station 100b, as shown in FIG. 7. Doubtless those confrontedwith the problem of force transmission through means separating thematerial being pumped from the water through which the forces aretransmitted will find other means of accomplishing this result.

Where the material being pumped is denser than water, the embodiment ofthe present invention shown in FIG. 8 may be conveniently employed. Thispump 10b is substantially identical to the pump 100 shown in FIG. 5,except here the reservoir 110a, containing the dense material beingpumped is in the lower portion of the pumping station 100C, in contrastto the reservoir 110 of the less dense substance being located above thewater contained in the pumping station 100. The material pumped by thisembodiment of the present invention, being more dense than water would,by gravitional force, naturally seek a lower level. Thus, thisembodiment of the pump 10b is adapted to accommodate this occurrence,rather than resisting it. As in the case of the pump 10a, as shown inFIGS. 5, 6 and 7 the interface between the water and the material beingpumped may be any means, including direct contact, which is forcetransmissive and which accomplishes any neces sary separation betweenthe materials. Thus, it need not necessarily be a piston 115a, as shownin FIG. 8.

Likewise, control circuitry as described in the previously-citedembodiments may be employed in connection with this embodiment of thepump 10b, as desired, to accomplish the particular purpose to which thepump is applied.

The force necessary to pump the material, in embodiments where thematerial is not itself the impure water, may be transmitted directlyfrom the gasses within the ignition chamber, rather than through thewater. An embodiment of the present invention utilizing this feature isshown in FIG. 9. Here, the forces of explosion within the ignitionchamber 40a are naturally transmitted from the force generator 950through its opening 130 into the pumping chamber 100d. The nature of thepumping chamber 100d is similar to that of the pumping chambersdescribed in the other embodiments of this invention, cited above, inwhich material other than impure water is pumped. Thus, the ingressmeans 21b, egress means 26b, reservoir "Oh and piston ll5b accomplishsubstantially the same result as in the other embodiments, and may bedesigned and utilized similarly. Likewise, as in the previousembodiments. the ignition process may be controlled as desired,utilizing means similar to those discussed above.

Likewise, as shown in FIG. 10, a flexible diaphragm may be utilized inseparating the gasses from the substance being pumped. As shown in FIG.10, the pump 10d comprises a force generator b and a pumping chamber e,separated by a bulkhead 135. Gasses from the ignition chamber 40b flowthrough the opening a into the upper region of the pumping chamber,below which is the reservoir 1100 containing the substance being pumped.Separating the gases from the reservoir is a force transmissive,flexible diaphragm 120a sealed at its periphery 125a. Upon ignition, theforce is transmitted through the opening and acts on the diaphragm whichextends, thus transmitting the force into the reservoir, whereupon thesubstance which has entered through the ingress means is forciblyejected through the egress means. This embodiment of the presentinvention may be further refined by the addition of upstream flowrestrictive means, control means and all other previously recitedimprovements whose function and design is substantially identical tothose described in connection with the other embodiments of thisinvention hereinabove specified.

In cases where contamination of the substance being pumped by hydrogen,oxygen and/or water is not considered important, the partition means(e.g. the piston ll5b or the diaphragm 120a) may be eliminated entirely.

Yet another embodiment of this invention, that shown in FIG. 11, is animpulse generator. While not a pump in the strictest sense of the term,which implies the passage of material into and out of a chamber, thisdevice is pumplike in its operation, and its motive principle issubstantially identical to that in the other embodiments of thisinvention. In fact, the only basic difference between this embodimentand those previously described is that here the substance being pumpedis solid, and it returns during each pump cycle.

Accordingly, the impulse generator 11 comprises a walled force generator950 having an ignition chamber 40c in the upper region thereof.Electrolysis electrodes are inserted within the water contained in thegenerator, and ignition electrodes are inserted into the ignitionchamber. The ignition coil, power supply (or supplies), control meansand the like are also incorporated as necessary or desirable, as in thepreviously described embodiments. Here, however, the force istransmitted through the water (or directly from the gasses in anembodiment not illustrated) to the ram 147, the base of. which is inclose-fitting (seals may be used to prevent leakage), slidablerelationship with the interior of the generator. The head 152 of the ramis rigidly connected to the base by means of the shaft 153 which slidesout of the generator through its basal opening 154. The ram is preventedfrom wholly exiting the generator by the fact that itsmovement in thedirection of the arrow must necessarily cease when the leading edge 155of its base 150 abuts the base 160 of the generator. The return spring165 causes the ram to return to its rest position after each thrust, thelatter being caused by the explosion of the hydrogen in the presence ofthe oxygen within the ignition chamber.

This impulse generator will find wide application in uses such asmetallic bonding, pile driving, sheet metal cutting, punching, etc.Depending on the particular application, the ram head 152 may be of ashape other than that shown in FIG. 1 1. Pressure release valves andother safety means may also be incorporated in this device in itsvarious embodiments.

Having now described various embodiments of the pump of the presentinvention for use in particular applications, the invention may now, ineffect, be summarized by describing the method of pumping incorporatedtherein.

In essence, the method consists in introducing a quantity of thesubstance to be pumped into a chamber having means through which thesubstance may exit the chamber, the chamber being adapted to retard orrestrict upstream flow of the material. A quantity of water containingat least a trace amount of ionized impurity is electrolyzed, and thehydrogen generated thereby is ignited in the presence of the oxygensimilarly generated. The force of this explosion is directed toward thesubstance to be pumped, within the chamber from which it is to bepumped, thus forcible ejecting the material therefrom. Subsidence of theexplosion creates a partial vacuum with respect to the source of thematerial which, because of the upstream flow restrictive means, causes anew charge of material to be introduced into the pumping chamber. Thebasic method contemplates pumping of the electrolyzed water itself or ofa liquid other than that water (for example, de-ionized water) or of agaseous substance or even a solid ram, in certain embodiments.

I claim:

1. A pump comprising:

a substantially enclosed chamber, said chamber having ingress and egressmeans for a substance to be pumped, said ingress means having means torestrict egress of said substance from said chamber including a tubecommunicating between the interior of said chamber and a source of saidsubstance external to said chamber, at least a portion of said tubehaving progressively decreasing internal cross-sectional area along thedirection from said source to said interior and said egress means havingmeans to restrict ingress of said substance into said chamber;

a volume of water containing at least a trace amount of ionized impurityin said chamber;

alternating current means for electrolyzing said water within saidchamber, whereby gaseous hydrogen and oxygen are formed from a portionof said water within said chamber; and

means for igniting the hydrogen in the presence of the oxygen, withinsaid chamber, whereby an ex- 6 means, whereupon, when said explosionsubsides, a partial vacuum is created within said chambercausingadditional of said substance to be drawn into said chamberthrough said ingress means.

2. Pump as in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said tubes is provided inseries.

3. Pump as in claim 1, wherein said ingress means comprises a mechanicalvalve.

4. Pump as in claim 1, wherein said electrolysis means comprises:

a pair of mutually displaced electrodes immersed, at least in part,within the water contained within said chamber; and

activation means to cause electrical current to flow between saidelectrodes through the water.

5. Pump as in claim 4, wherein a plurality of said electrode pairs isprovided and said activation means is operative on each of said pairs.

6. Pump as in claim 5, wherein said plurality of electrode pairscomprises a substantially coaxial set of substantially cylindricalconductive shells, each of said shells being operatively connected tosaid activation means in such manner as to cause current to flow betweeneach of said shells and an adjacent one of said shells, through thewater.

7. Pump as in claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the wall of saidchamber is electrically conductive and in electrical communication withone of said electrodes, said one electrode being in electricalcommunication with ground.

8. Pump as in claim 1, wherein said ignition means comprises:

a pair of mutually displaced electrodes, said electrodes beingpositioned within said chamber in such manner as to be in contact withthe gasses formed. by said electrolysis;

means to create an electrical potential difference between saidelectrodes sufficient to cause sparking between said electrodes throughthe gasses; and

regulation means to selectively operate said creation means.

9. Pump as in claim 8, wherein said regulation means comprises:

a switch; and

a timer, said timer being adapted to operate said switch at selectedintervals of time and for selected durations.

10. A pump comprising:

a substantially enclosed chamber, said chamber having ingress and egressmeans for a substance to be pumped, said ingress means having means torestrict egress of said substance from said chamber and said egressmeans having means to restrict ingress of said substance into saidchamber including a tube communicating between the interior of saidchamber and the exterior of said chamber, at least a portion of saidtube having progressively decreasing internal cross-sectional area alongthe direction from said interior to said exterior;

a volume of water containing at least a trace amount of ionized impurityin said chamber;

alternating current means for electrolyzing said water within saidchamber, whereby gaseous hydrogen and oxygen are formed from a portionof said water within said chamber; and

means for igniting the hydrogen in the presence of the oxygen, withinsaid chamber, whereby an ex- 11 12 plosion ensues causing at least aportion of said causing additional of said substance to be drawnsubstance within said chamber to be forcibly into said chamber throughsaid ingress means. ejected from said chamber through said egress 1].Pump as in claim 10, wherein a plurality of said means, whereupon, whensaid explosion subsides, tubes is provided in series. a partial vacuumis created within said chamber 5

1. A pump comprising: a substantially enclosed chamber, said chamberhaving ingress and egress means for a substance to be pumped, saidingress means having means to restrict egress of said substance fromsaid chamber including a tube communicating between the interior of saidchamber and a source of said substance external to said chamber, atleast a portion of said tube having progressively decreasing internalcross-sectional area along the direction from said source to saidinterior and said egress means having means to restrict ingress of saidsubstance into said chamber; a volume of water containing at least atrace amount of ionized imPurity in said chamber; alternating currentmeans for electrolyzing said water within said chamber, whereby gaseoushydrogen and oxygen are formed from a portion of said water within saidchamber; and means for igniting the hydrogen in the presence of theoxygen, within said chamber, whereby an explosion ensues causing atleast a portion of said substance within said chamber to be forciblyejected from said chamber through said egress means, whereupon, whensaid explosion subsides, a partial vacuum is created within said chambercausing additional of said substance to be drawn into said chamberthrough said ingress means.
 2. Pump as in claim 1, wherein a pluralityof said tubes is provided in series.
 3. Pump as in claim 1, wherein saidingress means comprises a mechanical valve.
 4. Pump as in claim 1,wherein said electrolysis means comprises: a pair of mutually displacedelectrodes immersed, at least in part, within the water contained withinsaid chamber; and activation means to cause electrical current to flowbetween said electrodes through the water.
 5. Pump as in claim 4,wherein a plurality of said electrode pairs is provided and saidactivation means is operative on each of said pairs.
 6. Pump as in claim5, wherein said plurality of electrode pairs comprises a substantiallycoaxial set of substantially cylindrical conductive shells, each of saidshells being operatively connected to said activation means in suchmanner as to cause current to flow between each of said shells and anadjacent one of said shells, through the water.
 7. Pump as in claim 4,wherein at least a portion of the wall of said chamber is electricallyconductive and in electrical communication with one of said electrodes,said one electrode being in electrical communication with ground. 8.Pump as in claim 1, wherein said ignition means comprises: a pair ofmutually displaced electrodes, said electrodes being positioned withinsaid chamber in such manner as to be in contact with the gasses formedby said electrolysis; means to create an electrical potential differencebetween said electrodes sufficient to cause sparking between saidelectrodes through the gasses; and regulation means to selectivelyoperate said creation means.
 9. Pump as in claim 8, wherein saidregulation means comprises: a switch; and a timer, said timer beingadapted to operate said switch at selected intervals of time and forselected durations.
 10. A pump comprising: a substantially enclosedchamber, said chamber having ingress and egress means for a substance tobe pumped, said ingress means having means to restrict egress of saidsubstance from said chamber and said egress means having means torestrict ingress of said substance into said chamber including a tubecommunicating between the interior of said chamber and the exterior ofsaid chamber, at least a portion of said tube having progressivelydecreasing internal cross-sectional area along the direction from saidinterior to said exterior; a volume of water containing at least a traceamount of ionized impurity in said chamber; alternating current meansfor electrolyzing said water within said chamber, whereby gaseoushydrogen and oxygen are formed from a portion of said water within saidchamber; and means for igniting the hydrogen in the presence of theoxygen, within said chamber, whereby an explosion ensues causing atleast a portion of said substance within said chamber to be forciblyejected from said chamber through said egress means, whereupon, whensaid explosion subsides, a partial vacuum is created within said chambercausing additional of said substance to be drawn into said chamberthrough said ingress means.
 11. Pump as in claim 10, wherein a pluralityof said tubes is provided in series.